It’s easy to lump all social networking sites together and devise a one-size-fits-all book marketing strategy. This is not advisable because when promoting your book, it’s more effective to identify tactics that lend themselves to specific social media sites. Sure they’ll be some overlap but each site is unique and has its strengths and weaknesses. So, in this post, we’ll focus on ways you can build momentum on your Facebook fan page. These tactics will require your time and energy but the pay off will be worth it.

Write content that reflects your personality and expertise. Unlike Linkedin, which has a professional focus or Twitter where you’re restricted by a word-count, your personality can really shine through on your Facebook page. Newsfeeds contain a lot of information so try to inject humor, passion, and insight in your content. However, Facebook is all about pacing yourself—post once a day or several times a week. Also try to mix up different update types—a status update, a link, a note, a photo, or a video update. Finally, don’t forget to update your profile picture or cover photo every six months; both images are a reflection of your personality and interests.

Connect with authors and other groups. There are more than 800 million users on Facebook so spend some time and research other authors you admire and book or writing-related groups. By becoming a fan of other groups, you’ll gain access to a potentially marketable community of readers and writers. Make sure you join discussions and observe what others are saying. You may be able to incorporate some insights into your marketing efforts. Also “like” other groups/authors’ pages because when you do, Facebook notifies the administrators of these pages. In return, some people may decide to like your page, which will expose your name to even more readers.

Enlist your friends and fans to help spread the word. Create a community of advocates to help promote your book. Two weeks before his book “Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition” was published, author and coach Michael Stelzner developed a photo contest on Facebook. Stelzner asked people to take a creative photo with the words, “Help Me Launch.” With only 50 Facebook fans when he started the promotion, that number grew to more than 1000 during the competition. Finally, 70 people submitted a creative photo. The winner received merchandise and a free coaching session from Stelzner.

Maintain a two-way dialogue with fans. Unlike other sites, it’s easier to build a relationship on Facebook. For example, if a fan posts that they liked your book, follow up and ask what specifically resonated with them. Encourage them to leave a comment or write a review. You can also ask fans for feedback: pose questions and seek their input in your decisions.

Create a video book trailer. A video book trailer is a powerful tool that can reach people in and out of your network (videos and photos will appear in your fan’s newsfeeds). They can be expensive to produce but all you need is a good idea, then tap into your network of friends for help or post an ad seeking help to film and edit your trailer. Chances are a budding student filmmaker can help you for a minimal amount.

Finding fault with New York Times’ coverage of the book business is a beloved topic among editors and publishers. I’m sure many smirked at the Times’ August 15th piece, The Joys and Hazards of Self-Publishing on the Web—the options profiled have been well-known to book pros and aspiring authors for years. That said, newcomers will benefit from good advice on and links to digital and ebook publishers and their services.

I strongly agree with several of the article’s main findings: digital platforms have reduced the cost of self-publishing; these newer services give the author genuine control over their books; and the vast majority of self-published books barely sell at all. This last point, however, is always the skunk at the party in any self-publishing article.

Breakout self-published authors get a ton of media attention and make for good stories, but they represent the tiniest sliver of the self-published universe. What’s missing from this article and others similar to it is a common sense question: If global publishers with a century of business success struggle to sell more than a few thousand copies of a book, how does a self-published author market his/her book for the first time? What marketing strategies are particularly effective and actually work for “citizen authors”—as coined by my friend David Sterry?

I have a few principles I urge you to consider if you take the self-publishing path:

Establish your book-selling goals: Roughly, how many books do you want to sell? This is a key question because your number will determine how much energy and effort you’ll have to expend when marketing your book.

Research your target audience: Marketing your book through your personal network won’t be enough, you’ll need to engage communities who have an existing passion or professional interest in your fiction genre or nonfiction subject (See my post Fish Where the Fish Are). The key here is to research your market. If you’ve written a book about quilting, find out what quilters read and what websites they use; if it’s a fly fishing book, figure out how Fly Fisherman magazine engages anglers. Once you have identified your market is ask yourself this: Can I reach these people with my book?

Create a marketing plan: Even if it is a grassroots effort, draft and implement (parts of) your marketing plan a year ahead of publication. If you want to be a Twitter powerhouse, you should know that building a few thousand Twitter followers will probably take at least a year. Are there annual conferences you might speak at? Take your marketing plan for a test drive and show it to your friends, fans, and followers (all potential buyers). Ask for their opinions: pose questions, show them a sample chapter, and seek their input in your decisions.

Consider a publishing and marketing partner: Can you identify an organization, business, or colleague who would benefit from being associated with your book? One of my clients realized that to sell his book he needed access to more business seminar opportunities. He reached out to a well-established local management consultant he knew and offered him a co-authorship. The new co-author contributed useful new content without changing the book dramatically and gained a publication credit. In the end, the two authors developed a joint seminar program at local businesses.

Skip Buying Ad Space: In my experience, generally online ads don’t work very well but consistent online and regular publicity does work. One client, for example, promoted her parenting book to specific bloggers over a three-month period, resulting in hundreds of hits to her website. However, there are absolutely situations where online and offline ads can sell a book–particularly where the audience is a microniche and can be targeted efficiently (scrapbooking, for example).

Remember: self-publishing is a big undertaking; it will cost money and require a lot of an author’s time. What results do you want for this investment?